The timeless strength of Maud Watts filled the screen of the Suffragette with her radical fight alongside countless other women, to attain the vote. The injustices of being a woman in that time period were vividly portrayed through Maud Watts’ character, as she was not able to keep her child when her husband wanted to put him up for adoption. On the whole, the total subjection of women in that time period, to the extent that they banded together on the behalf of a common cause, engrosses the audience and stays embedded in their minds for years to come.

Overall, the film Suffragette was conventional, yet it had prominent streaks of unconventionality, too. Coinciding with the definition of conventional films, the Suffragette operated off of a large budget, while including several famous actresses such as Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep and Marie Duff. The story is a familiar one, since other movies have covered the topic of the fight for attaining the women’s vote. Through the concentration on the story of women’s powerlessness in their political and social lives, the Suffragette used the common unconventional technique of challenging the fairness of gender roles. This film did not try to remain neutral in the fight for women’s civic equality, as conventional movies do.

From previously watching the Suffragette, the injustice of the times is as evident now as it was then. However, the vague recollection of the plot dimmed in the face of the actions and influences of the characters when viewed a second time. The scenes of violence that the women in the movement experienced, and the actions they were driven to make, emphasizes the desperation they felt, which led to their determination in the face of adversity. The scene when Emily says, “Never surrender, never give up the fight.” right before she sacrifices herself for the cause, indicates the misery that drove women when their voices were not being recognized by the government.

A review written by Peter Bradshaw in 2015 from The Guardian illustrates that many people take for granted women’s right to vote. The review stated, the title is a reminder to the public that the women’s vote was not freely given, but had to be desperately battled over. The cruel hardships of the times are painfully present in the film, as the series of events that eventually won women the right to vote involved the dreadful experiences of jail cells and force-feeding for the average working-class woman. This review, from the time when the film was released, brings into focus the need to remember the past courage of women fighting for equality, especially as modern feminist issues are discussed. The perspective offered from reading through reviews from the time the movie was released, is invaluable while attempting to view the film from that time period. Upon re-watching this movie, the grueling events that the characters faced, from incarceration to Emily’s desperate act, seem to reflect the attempt of the producers to retain the attention of the audience.